Turnbuckle tool



S. H. KNOWLES TURNBUGKLE TOOL Dec. 4, 1945.

Filed Nov. 24, 1943 I (S/V/KWOZJkS JNVENTOR.

wayamra Patented Dec. 4, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,390,310 TURNBUCKLE 'rooL Silvy H. Knowles, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application November 24, 1943, Serial No. 511,614

1 Claim.

This invention relates to tools and more particularly to a turnbuckle tool by means of which the threaded screws or eye-bolts of a turnbuckle may be held stationary while the sleeve or barrel is turned to tighten or loosen the turnbuckle.

At the present time it is customary to manipulate a turnbuckle by means of a rod passed through a transverse opening midway the length of the barrel of a turnbuckle and while the barrel can be easily turned in this manner itis difficult to hold the screws stationary and it is often necessary to have one workman hold the screws stationary while another turns the barrel. Therefore it is one object of the invention to provide a tool by means of which the screws may bev easily held stationary with one hand while the barrel is turned with the other hand.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character including a bolt-engaging clamp having jaws for gripping both crews and handles having a latch associated with them so that the jaws will be held in gripping engagement with the bolts during turning of the barrel to tighten or loosen the turnbuckle.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the clamp and the collar applied to a turnbuckle,

Figure 2 is an end view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of Figure 1.

This improved turnbuckle tool consists briefly of a clamp l for gripping the threaded rods or screws 2 of a turnbuckle. turnbuckle may be eyebolts or of any conven-' tional construction and are oppositely threaded so that when the barrel 4 of the turnbuckle is turned the guy wires 5 tightened or loosened according to the direction in which the barrel is turned. In the present illustration thescrews 2 are formed with wire-receiving members 5 having wrench engaging portions 1, this form of turnbuckle being particularly adapted for use in airplane construction as the guy wire are not forks carry jaws I l which extend transversely of The screws 2 of the the forks. The jaws have their inner faces formed with V-shaped grooves or recesses so that they may firmly grip the portions of the screws 2 disposed between them when the clamp i in use and have flat gripping engagement with the wrench engaging portions 1 of the screws if screws of this type form portions of the turnbuckle.

Bridge portions of the yokes are reinforced by metal strips I2 and the yokes carry handles 13 and I4 having their lower or inner ends formed with tongues l5 by means of which the handles are firmly fixed to the yokes. The handle l3 carries a latch l6 which is pivoted to the handle by a pin I1 and passes through an opening H3 in handle l4 and a spring l9 which has one end connected with an eye 20 carried by handle [3 and its other end connected to the latch near its pivoted end urges the latch upwardly so that the latch will engage the handle at the upper end of the opening 18 and hold the jaws H in gripping engagement with the screws 2. By tilting the outer free end of the latch downwardly the handle M will be released and the yokes may be turned about their pivots 9 and the screws released. Since the handles are opposite each other they may be grasped in one hand and the jaws applied to the screws, the handles being then pressed towards each other and held with the jaws firmly gripping the screws.

By use of the improved tool the turnbuckle may be tightened by one person holding the handles of the clamp with one hand and manipulatin the turnbucklewith his other hand.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

A turnbuckle tool including a clamp for holding each other, a latch pivotally carried by one handle and passing through an opening in the other handle, and a spring carried by the first handle and connected with said latch near the pivoted end thereof for swinging the latch into position for latching engagement with the second mentioned handle at the upper end of the opening formed therein.

SILVY H. KNOWLES. 

